


The Reactor

by Jemisard



Category: The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-05-28
Packaged: 2017-12-13 05:19:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemisard/pseuds/Jemisard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an Earthquake damages a nuclear reactor, Bruce is forced to go in alone to shut it down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reactor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Clockwork](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clockwork/gifts).



“I really don’t like this.”

The small camera affixed to the hazmat team leader’s suit showed Bruce’s nervousness in his twisting motions and small rocking on his feet.

“I understand, Dr Banner, but we simply can’t get anyone inside in the suits. And your... condition-”

“I know my condition a lot better than you do,” he reminded. “This just has a lot of possibilities to go wrong.” He fought the urge to slip off his shoes, finding a strange comfort in his bare feet, and saving another pair of shoes from destruction. “There’s nothing that will trigger it?”

“There’s nothing physically dangerous to you in there. But the shaft collapsed and the suits-”

“Can’t get in, we went over this. That’s why Shield sent me.” Loaned him out would be a better term. But there was no one else who could do this work.

“That’s the shaft.”

He nodded, stepping up onto the broken panel and hopping to sit himself up on the edge. “You could at least wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” someone stuttered out.

Bruce slid himself in, walking backwards with his feet, looking up at the buckled top of the shaft. The reactor had been damaged in an earthquake, but this was the first chance they’d had to get inside and try and safely shut it down.

He carefully braced himself and slid through the collapsed section, kicking to press through the slightly too small gap. He could feel the pressure of the radiation increasing as he moved into the sub control centre, nearer the leak.

It was a prickle in his hindbrain, a rumbling of familiarity and unhappiness. Kind to kind. He pushed down on it and felt along for the end of the shaft.

It was easy enough to slide himself out and land with a small stumble in the chamber. His eyes felt dry even as he blinked to try and clear the feeling.

“Doctor Banner?”

He pressed the comm in his ear. “Yes. Yes, I’m here, I can hear you. I can see the controls. I’m going to run the safety checks and make sure we’ve got proper connections.”

Perching on a surviving chair, Bruce reboot the screens, bringing up the safety protocols to start them running. His ears were picking up dull sounds far off, sounds he wasn’t sure were really there.

“All safeties are functioning from this hub. Should I begin the shutdown initialisation?”

“Proceed.”

Bruce took a shaking breath, starting the shut down. Something whirred and clunked and his ears sudden ached as the pressure shifted in the room.

“What’s going on? Someone talk to me.”

Calm breaths. Nothing could hurt him. He was fine.

“There’s damage in the pipes. We don’t know how much, it’s a section we can’t get to. Pause the shut down.”

Bruce tapped in the commands quickly.

>Error. Communication with main server lost.

“I think whatever just moved severed the main feed. I can’t stop it.” The concrete above him cracked with a whisp of powder. “Oh shit. I need to get out of here.”

He shoved the chair backwards, scrambling for the access vent but another crack and thump crumpled the entrance in, making him snatch back his hands and back away.

“Doctor Banner?”

“You need to get out,” he murmured.

“Doctor?”

“Get out! The place is collapsing! GET OUT!” The last words rumbled, almost subsonic and he ducked under the desk, hoping it would shelter him enough that a rescue team could get him later.

“It’s okay,” he whispered to himself. “It’s okay. You’re not hurt. Nothing’s going to hurt you.” He tucked his knees to his chest, eyes closed and flinching as another snap filled the chamber with pebbles and dust.

He didn’t know if the team were running. He had to assume they were, that they were getting clear before anything went wrong. The shut down was still running and would, hopefully, keep doing so, even if it brought down the outer hubs while doing so.

Something crashed into the console. He didn’t scream, he just pressed himself down lower, forced to stretch out. On the floor, he could see his small camera blinking at him. He must’ve lost it from its mooring when he dove for safety.

The whole room juddered and something cracked and made a wet sound.

Bruce couldn’t suck in a breath.

His hand hit the ground as the pain from his half severed leg washed his body. He might have screamed, but it was lost to the roar of something far less human and much angrier.

The tiny camera continued to blink and transmit as the Hulk ripped itself free and vanished from sight, moments before the signal was lost.


End file.
